Apparatus and Method for Sensing Display Panel

1. An apparatus for sensing a display panel, wherein the display panel comprises a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of data lines and a plurality of pixel circuits, a data input terminal and a gate terminal of a corresponding pixel circuit of the pixel circuits are coupled to a corresponding data line of the data lines and a corresponding scan line of the scan lines respectively, and the apparatus comprises: a source driving circuit configured to be coupled to the data lines to drive the pixel circuits according to a scan-line period for scanning one of the scan lines; and a sensing circuit, configured to be coupled to the pixel circuits, and configured to sense characteristics of the pixel circuits according to the scan-line period for scanning one of the scan lines, wherein the scan-line period comprises a display data period and a test data period; wherein in the test data period within the scan-line period, the source driving circuit is configured to provide test data to the pixel circuits, and the sensing circuit senses an electrical characteristic of the corresponding pixel circuit; and wherein in the display data period within the same scan-line period, the source driving circuit is configured to provide display data to the pixel circuits, and the sensing circuit does not sense the corresponding pixel circuit.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the source driving circuit and the sensing circuit is configured to control the pixel circuit to receive the display data or the test data.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: a switch circuit, coupled to the corresponding pixel circuit, configured to control whether the display data or the test data is provided to the corresponding pixel circuit.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the switch circuit comprises an output terminal coupled to a data terminal of the corresponding pixel circuit, a first input terminal of the switch circuit is configured to transmit test data to the data terminal of the corresponding pixel circuit in the test data period, and a second input terminal of the switch circuit is configured to transmit display data to the data terminal of the corresponding pixel circuit in the display data period.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the switch circuit comprises: a first switch, wherein a control terminal of the first switch is controlled by a correction signal, a first terminal of the first switch configured to receive the test data, and a second terminal of the first switch is coupled to a data terminal of the corresponding pixel circuit; and a second switch, wherein a control terminal of the second switch is controlled by a correction signal, a first terminal of the second switch is coupled to the corresponding data line to receive the display data, and a second terminal of the second switch is coupled to the data terminal of the corresponding pixel circuit.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first switch is turned on and the second switch is turned off in the test data period, and the first switch is turned off and the second switch is turned on in the display data period.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the switch circuit is disposed in the source driving circuit.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the switch circuit is disposed in the sensing circuit.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the switch circuit is disposed in the pixel circuit.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the display panel is an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: a gate driving circuit configured to be coupled to the scan lines, and configured to define a plurality of scan-line periods in a frame period to scan the scan lines, wherein the scan-line period within the scan-line periods corresponds to one corresponding scan line of the scan lines.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the gate driving circuit comprises: a plurality of first shift registers series-connected to one another.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the gate driving circuit further comprises: a plurality of first AND gates, wherein a plurality of first input terminals of the first AND gates receive a first correction signal, a plurality of second input terminals of the first AND gates are one-to-one coupled to the output terminals of the first shift registers, and an output terminal of a corresponding first AND gate of the first AND gates is coupled to a control terminal of the pixel circuit.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the gate driving circuit further comprises: a plurality of second shift registers series-connected to one another; and a plurality of second AND gates, wherein a plurality of first input terminals of the second AND gates receive a second correction signal, a plurality of second input terminals of the second AND gates are one-to-one coupled to a plurality of output terminals of the second shift registers, and a plurality of output terminals of the second AND gates are one-on-one coupled to the scan lines.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the corresponding pixel circuit comprises: a first switch, wherein a control terminal of the first switch is coupled to the corresponding scan line; a transistor, wherein a control terminal of the transistor is coupled to a second terminal of the first switch, and a first terminal of the transistor is coupled to a first voltage; an organic light emitting diode (OLED), wherein a first terminal of the OLED is coupled to a second terminal of the transistor, and a second terminal of the OLED is coupled to a second voltage; and a second switch, wherein a first terminal of the second switch is coupled to the second ten al of the transistor and the first terminal of the OLED, and a second terminal of the second switch is coupled to the sensing circuit.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the control terminal of the first switch and the control terminal of the second switch are coupled to the corresponding scan line.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the first switch and the second switch are turned on in the test data period and the display data period.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the first switch and the second switch are turned on in the test data period, and the first switch is turned on and the second switch is turned off in the display data period.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the first switch and the second switch are configured to be turned on in a first sub-period of the test data period, the first switch is configured to be turned off and the second switch is configured to be turned on in a second sub-period of the test data period, and the first switch is configured to be turned on and the second switch is configured to be turned off in the display data period.

20. A method for sensing a display panel, wherein the display panel comprises a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of data lines and a plurality of pixel circuits, a data input terminal and a gate terminal of a corresponding pixel circuit of the pixel circuits are coupled to a corresponding data line of the data lines and a corresponding scan line of the scan lines respectively, and the method comprising: sensing, by a sensing circuit, characteristics of the pixel circuits according to a scan-line period for scanning one of the scan lines, wherein the scan-line period comprises display data period and a test data period; providing, by a source driving circuit, test data to the pixel circuits in the test data period within the scan-line period; sensing, by the sensing circuit, an electrical characteristic of the corresponding pixel circuit in the test data period within the same scan-line period; providing, by the source driving circuit, display data to the pixel circuits; and not sensing, by the sensing circuit, the corresponding pixel circuit in the display data period within the same scan-line period.